The Game of Thrones TV series has been a remarkably faithful adaptation of George R.R. Martin's fantasy series so far, but that will change when season 5 debuts on April 12th. But not every alteration from the books is a bad thing! Here are five storylines from the novels we won't miss at all. »3/16/15 3:26pm 3/16/15 3:26pm

History doesn't have to be the stultifying grind you remember from high school. It can be shocking, and funny, and sad — and even if you don't remember all the dates and faces, it can leave you knowing more about the world. Here are 10 popular history books that will change your view of reality. »2/24/15 2:13pm 2/24/15 2:13pm

Some tropes are so ingrained in Medieval-inspired fantasy stories that it's tempting to think that they represent real aspects of Medieval life. But often these stories are just reinforcing myths and misconceptions about life in the Middle Ages. »2/19/15 2:28pm 2/19/15 2:28pm

Egyptian mythology has a lot of gods. Some of them have loomed large in pop culture and the public imagination: Ra, Apophis, Anubis, Isis, Bast, Osiris, etc. Some are far more obscure. But that in no way diminishes how scary they are. Here are 10 absolutely terrifying Egyptian gods that you might not have heard of. »2/17/15 1:48pm 2/17/15 1:48pm

You may be familiar with the espionage efforts of female spies like Josephine Baker and Mata Hari, whose lives have been committed time and time again to film. But there are numerous female spies who — even if we don't agree with all their politics — led fascinating lives, ones that could fill entire movie franchises. »2/10/15 2:18pm 2/10/15 2:18pm

You've probably heard that English is being ruined — by the Internet, by texting, by Americans, by young people who have no respect for proper grammar. But it turns out that people have always worried over English, and over the centuries, have accused all sorts of things of "ruining" the language. »2/06/15 1:30pm 2/06/15 1:30pm

There are plenty of lists about the "weirdest" Barbie dolls on the internet, but they only scratch the surface of the insane, sometimes terrifying world of the best-selling doll. Here are 20 totally real, official Barbies that prove she hasn't just conquered girls toys, she may have literally conquered the universe. »1/30/15 1:28pm 1/30/15 1:28pm

Humans didn't invent the idea of combining sex and commerce. Plenty of animals are willing to mate, but only if the price is right. Here are 10 animals who will offer sex for reasons other than just preserving the species.»12/19/14 2:28pm 12/19/14 2:28pm

Ever since Star Wars, the special effects industry has taken us to amazing new worlds and recharged our sense of wonder. It's also grossed us the frak out. Exploding heads, severed limbs, strange mutilations... Here are the 20 most disgusting special effects of all time. Warning: NSFW!»11/27/14 1:49pm 11/27/14 1:49pm

Whether you call her Usagi or Serena and him Mamoru or Darien, the love between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask is one of anime's most celebrated romances. This is despite the fact that Tuxedo Mask sucks. Yes, Sailor Moon's dashing "hero" is in fact a terrible person, and here are 10 reasons why.»11/17/14 2:39pm 11/17/14 2:39pm

In our desire to see a female-led superhero movie, we don't want to leave out female supervillains, who are often overshadowed by their male counterparts. Here are a few ideas for creating interesting female villains while avoiding some of the more annoying tropes. »11/15/14 3:48pm 11/15/14 3:48pm

Some heroes bare their souls in the midst of their epic adventures. And some heroes just bare, well, everything. Science fiction and fantasy is full of hilariously weird moments of naked truth — and here are the 19 funniest nude scenes of all time. It's work-safe! »11/14/14 1:46pm 11/14/14 1:46pm

The '80s were the heyday of children's animation, when weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings were packed full of cartoons. Some were great; some were just okay, and some were unbearably wretched. Here are a dozen '80s cartoons that don't deserve to be remembered at all, let alone fondly. »11/11/14 2:47pm 11/11/14 2:47pm

What should you cut out of your diet to be more healthy? Everything. According to the most popular diet books on the market, there's barely a food on Earth that's safe to eat. But what is the actual benefit of these diets? Here's what science has to say. »11/07/14 6:29pm 11/07/14 6:29pm

Some people are weirded out by the immense popularity of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. But other than the terrifying Equestria Girls, FiM has nothing on the original My Little Pony cartoon. Here are a dozen weird bits of trivia about the classic show and the toys that may blow your pony minds. »11/06/14 2:25pm 11/06/14 2:25pm

Ever since we realized that catching a malefactor wasn't as simple as throwing them in the water to see if they floated, we had to turn to science. And over the years, there have been some homicide cases that really changed things. Here are ten people whose killings paved the way to a new era in crime-solving. »10/17/14 3:28pm 10/17/14 3:28pm

Fairy tales and folklore come from a variety of sources, changing as they are told and retold. And some of these tales have been inspired by real historical figures, whose lives either formed the genesis of the story or altered it along the way. So what is fact and what is fiction? »10/08/14 4:08pm 10/08/14 4:08pm

It's Banned Books Week! But people are trying to keep great books out of libraries and schools every hour of every day, year round. And often, people's reasons for challenging these titles are really, really... outlandish. Here are 12 SF and fantasy books that people have given incomprehensible reasons for banning.»9/25/14 1:57pm 9/25/14 1:57pm